TMWA's Green Projects
Clean, Renewable Power Generation: Hydroelectric Power
TMWA’s hydroelectric power plants have been producing clean, renewable energy for nearly 100 years. The Farad, Fleish and Verdi plants, located upstream of TMWA’s treatment plants, Chalk Bluff and Glendale, take advantage of the power of the Truckee River to generate more than 6.7 megawatts of power each year. The power is “net metered” back to NV Energy, neutralizing TMWA’s consumption of power in order to divert, treat and distribute high quality drinking water to more than 90,000 water services throughout Reno, Sparks and Washoe County.
The carbon footprint of hydroelectric energy is smaller than any other form of alternative energy including solar, wind and nuclear.
Fleish Hydroelectric
Solar Power
In 2010, TMWA installed a 30 kilowatt (kw) solar array at its corporate office located at 1355 Capital Blvd. Installation costs and materials totaled $194,000, but were offset by a $150,000 rebate from NV Energy. TMWA expects to reduce power expenses by $7,200 annually making the 30 kw solar array cost payback approximately five years. Visit the lobby at TMWA’s corporate office and interact with our digital display that shows real time data on how much energy the solar panels produce.
Solar Array located at TMWA's Corporate Office
Capital Projects: Highland Canal System Renovations
The Highland Canal, including the Mogul Bypass pipeline, is TMWA’s raw water conveyance system to the Chalk Bluff Treatment Plant in West Reno. This section of TMWA’s facilities were part of TMWA’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), but had to be quickly expedited when a magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit the Reno area on April 25, 2008. The new pipeline is already showing tremendous savings; in just three months of operation, it has saved TMWA over $435,000 in energy costs. Please visit our Highland Canal/Mogul Bypass page for more information.
Return to TMWA's environmental stewardship page.
